ecosdeunfuturodistantefandomcom_es-20200213-history
Short story: Tales of the Daeralman II
__TOC__ Description Tales of the Daeralman II is the second part of the short story Tales of the Daeralman. It takes place several millenia after the death of emperor Ilstram. It narrates the struggles of Ur'madanel to unveil what's the the threat he can only name as The Great Threat and it also introduces another Ur'daearalmán: Ur'daar. It's the first short story to feature only characters from the Daeralmán species. Story Thousands of years had passed since the death of Ilstram. However, Ur'madanel could still remember his restless and vivid gaze. He hadn't advanced a lot in his struggle to face the so called Great Threat, and the battle to convince his people that the moment to leave his species' neutrality behind had arrived, in order to defend life, wasn't faring any better. He felt as if time was moving too quick, something quite ironical keeping in mind the amazing longevity of his species. Deep inside him, he was aware that sooner or later, that threat that could put an end to all life in the universe would become real. He had dedicated the last three hundred thousand years to improve the understanding of the millions and millions of possible futures that were opening in front of him. He needed to thoroughly analize every possibility, studying it with care, so he could find the solution to a danger that seemed to make sense only to himself. Because, if he was sure about something, was that it was a part of the future that would happen regardless of his actions. It was just present in too many paths. The possibility of that invisible enemy not attempting to destroy all life, eventually, was so slim that it could be easily discarded because due to its unlikeness. Inside all those possible futures he peeked at, he could see, despaired, that an inmeasurable amount of them leaded to the success of that invisible danger. However, fortune appeared to be in his side one day. Ur'daar, one of the youngest Ur'daeralman that had finished his adulthood rite, came to him loooking for advice, as he was one of the oldest of his species: "I can't discern the futures that open in front of me." Ur'daar said. "What do you mean?" "There are some futures where I can't see anything. Despite all my efforts, I can't see past a certain point. Suddenly, everything goes white and I can't focus to see the new possibilities." "Perhaps your inexperience is blocking the way, you're only a hundred thousand years old, you're too young." Ur'madanel replied. "It's something else. It's not a problem of focus. It's like... it's like the path finishes abruptly. There's nothing after." The older Ur'daeralmán meditated during a few minutes: "Could it be...?" "What?" Ur'daar asked surprisedly. Silence fell upon both beings. Ur'madanel's mind was processing, again, the futures he had analyzed so many times. Could have he made such an obvious mistake? Was he ignoring too many details? "It doesn't make sense..." he said out loud, startling Ur'daar, who was looking at him in silence. "For millenia I've examined the possible futures that open in front of us. Ever since I was young I knew I was destined to find someone that would help me face the Great Threat. I always thought it'd be a human. That's why I've focused on them during the last thousands of years. Yet now..." "What does all that story about humans and the Great Threat have to do with my problem?" asked the young and astonished Ur'daar. His mentor smiled comfortably: "It's normal you can't see it." he said. "You can't see those futures, because you're trying to see your own life. You haven't made that decission yet." "My own life?" the young asked. "No, I'm just trying to discern the futures that lie in front of our species. I see some, very limited, on whose a great danger threatens the creations of our ancestors. But, all of a sudden, those paths close..." "Because you're part of them. No Ur'daeralman can see his own future. After all, it depends on our own choices. But you, you haven't made any yet." "I don't even know what I'm supposed to do..." "Do you believe in the Great Threat?" Ur'madanel asked him. Ur'daar remained silent for a few seconds. The old being that was in front of him was extraordinary in many regards, even for one of his own kind. Not only was he able to analyze all those futures to a degree of depth far beyond what everyone else could, he was also capable of understanding the consequences of all the countless ramifications that each choice presented. His mind reached so far, that few were the Ur'daeralman who managed to even imagine what he could perceive as a certain reality. After all, those that had left neutrality behind to defend life, based alone on the words of that old being, had taken him as improvised master. "There's no need for you to answer." he told the young, bringing him out of his distraction. "I can feel the doubts in you." "Even if I think it's real, it's so far away in the future that I can't see it." "You're seeing it already." the old Daeralman said. "The others say..." "Forget the others, Ur'daar. Most of us can analyze the future merely a few hundred years ahead. I've needed many millenia to become capable of increasing that comprehension of time to several thousands of years. They can't see it, because they can't see that far, yet. But when they do, they'll see the same things I do." "It's a future that would take place several thousand years from now. Why should we worry about it now?" "Because its ramifications have already begun. Now I understand my mistake. My despair to understand what will threaten the life we've made, forced me to obviate a fundamental detail. It's not me who's destined to find the human that will help us. Another Ur'daeralman will." "Me?" the young asked. "It's very likely. You're the only one of those that have come to me, that can't see its own immediate futures with clarity." "And my choices are, either believing you and losing my neutrality, or not believing you at all..." "And succumb, like the others." the old being finished abruptly. "Take your time, Ur'daar. You won't find at this moment the answer you look for." Ur'daar felt disoriented. It's true that he hadn't paid much attention to that story of the Great Threat, mainly because, during the last millenia, he'd been busy mastering his control over the energy, his own fighting style, and overcoming his adulthood rite. Deep inside himself, he knew that Ur'daeralman were tasked with the protection of the seed of life. If there was a possibility, no matter how small, that something or someone would put in danger the work of his ancestors, it was his task to protect it at all costs. Almost unknowingly, as years passed, he realized he had left his species' neutrality behind. Several years had passed since that discussion with Ur'madanel took place. The young being had taken, finally, a decission: "I think I have the answer I've been looking for during all this time." he told the older being. "And so?" Ur'madanel asked. "I want to protect the seed of life. If our mission is to create life, protecting it if it's threatened must also be our duty." "Have you tried peeking at the futures that open in front of you again?" "No..." "Give it a try..." the old being said kindly. "I think you'll be surprised." It was true, something had changed in Ur'daar. All of a sudden, he could contemplate and discern the futures that were once closed to him. On them, he was a key piece. He could see himself looking for a being of a species made by themselves. Possibly a human, as Ur'madanel had said many years ago. He saw himself waiting to find the much needed help to stop a Tor'daeralman that was willing to destroy all life in universe. In the same way his people had lost neutrality to favor life, this dark being had done the same, favoring chaos, but his name didn't ring a bell: "We need to stop Tor'ganil..." "Tor'ganil?" Ur'madanel asked. "Yes." Ur'daar replied "Aren't those the futures you couldn't discern? He's present on almost all of them." The old Ur'daeralman began to think for a few seconds, it was all starting to fall in place: "Ur'daar, you've just made a discovery that I couldn't during thousands of years. Now we know what we face." "You didn't know?" the young asked, surprised. "Neither I would've ever known if not for you..." "Why?" "Because it didn't correspond to me." The old being felt liberated. His travel wasn't even close to the end, but they had just managed to trim down the amount of possible futures to a sensible amount. His enemy know had a shape and a name. But it wasn't him who would have to stop him anymore. That task, as insourmountable as it seemed, now corresponded to the inexperienced young being that was in front of him. "What do we do to stop him from getting it his way?" he asked. "That, Ur'daar, is for you to find out. Those are the futures you couldn't see, because you hadn't made a decission yet wether you'd believe the story of the Great Threat or you'd rather ignore it. Now the destiny of our creations falls on you... on the next generation. Do not falter, you'll have my help when you need it most." "Thanks... Master" Ur'daar said. "I'll do everything I can to stop him." "Remember you won't be alone." But there was something Ur'madanel wasn't saying. The Great Threat now had a shape and form, and he had become an even bigger threat, because Tor'ganil was anything but unknown to him. The malevolent being ended his mentor's life... Everything fell in place. He felt inexperienced. The answer had been in front of him ever since his childhood. Three hundred fifty thousand years ago, when Ur'madanel was nothing but a kid, he felt how the pressence of his mentor vanished almost entirely from the universe. Fearing the worst, after a long and unsccessful search, he came back to the primordial place where all Ur'daeralman came from. A source of energy and knowledge of his people, to where they returned after passing away; adding their experiences and memories to the collective knowledge to which they were connected even in life. That was the place where he finally could find some energy traces and past of his mentor. It was the confirmation that somebody had ended his mentor's life prematurely. Now, older, he finally understood. His mentor must had discovered the threat of Tor'ganil, and he silenced him before it was too late. That, alone, was proof of the huge strength and power of the Tor'daeralman. It was the first time in which a Daeralmán ended the life of another... Evil was free already in the universe. The only question that remained to be answered, was to which side would the balance tilt in the final moment...